New Jersey Devils sign Kevin Labanc, Andy Welinski to PTOs
Labanc is a skilled winger who will be hoping to provide offensive pop while Welinski could add depth in the face of injuries on defense
Follow along on Twitter @ToddCordell | @InfernalAccess
Be sure to join the Discord channel to talk hockey with our writers and subscribers.
The New Jersey Devils have jumped back into the PTO waters, signing a couple more players on a tryout basis before training camp opens up.
Skilled winger Kevin Labanc will be joining the mix up front while veteran AHL defenseman Andy Welinski throws his hat in the ring on defense.
Labanc is coming off a truly disastrous season with the San Jose Sharks. He produced only nine points across 46 games while posting dreadful on-ice metrics.
The Sharks controlled only 41% of the expected goals during Labanc’s minutes – a bad mark even for a Shark – and were outscored 36-9.
Labanc’s 20 GF% was the worst among 23 Sharks to play 300 minutes or more at 5v5. Not great!
So, why might the Devils be bringing in Labanc for a look? His priors.
Labanc is only a year removed from a 15-goal, 38-point season. If you do Labanc a solid and throw last season out the window entirely, he’s averaged exactly 41 points per 82 games for his career. That’s nothing to sneeze out.
Focusing on career stats could be pointless if we were talking about an over-the-hill player finishing out the back nine of his career. Labanc is still only 28, though. It stands to reason that he could still have some juice left in the tank.
Labanc is quite slight and will be a zero in terms of physical play, board work, and defense. He’s at his best with the puck on his stick in the opposing third of the ice.
I don’t see Labanc playing in a bottom-6 role – there is no fit for him there – so his best hope is probably catching lightning in a bottle with, say, Jack Hughes and making himself an option in the top-6.
Given how poor Labanc was last year, I’d say that’s unlikely. But there’s no harm in a risk-free lottery ticket.
The Welinski PTO is likely a byproduct of the injuries the Devils are dealing with on defense. Luke Hughes is out until November and Simon Nemec is banged up as well.
That means at least one – and potentially two – defensemen who would’ve been Utica-bound will end up starting the season on the big club.
Thus, there could be a need for additional depth in the AHL. Welinski has played 46 NHL games and 319 in the AHL.
He’s definitely more of an AHLer than NHLer but it’s always good to have guys with that experience around.
Utica needs to field a competitive team, too, and Welinski could be an option there if the Devils need to steal defenders early on.